Daimler has revealed plans to produce a Mercedes-Benz pickup truck by 2020.
The news comes following Nissan’s announcement that it will join forces with the German automaker to develop a one-tonne truck for the luxury car brand.
The vehicle will share some architecture with the Nissan NP300, but will be designed and engineered by Daimler to meet the specific requirements of its customers.
“Mercedes-Benz is the fastest growing premium brand in the world,” said Dr Dieter Zetsche, chairman of the Daimler’s Board of Management and head of Mercedes-Benz Cars.
“Entering the rapidly growing segment of midsize pickups is an important step in continuing our global growth plan. Thanks to our well-established partnership with the Renault-Nissan Alliance, we are able to drastically reduce the time and cost to enter this key segment,” he added.
Nissan is the world’s second-largest one-tonne pickup manufacturer, and has been building and selling this class of vehicle for more than 80 years. The Mercedes-Benz model will be built at Renault’s plant in Cordoba, Argentina, and Nissan’s plant in Barcelona, Spain. Production of the trucks at the two plants will begin by the end of this decade.
“Thanks to our cooperation with Daimler on this project, we will be able to share the cost of investment at the Cordoba plant, while at the same time, open up new markets in the Latin America region for the Renault-Nissan Alliance,” said Carlos Ghosn, Renault-Nissan’s chairman and CEO.
“This project will also allow us to optimise production capacity at the Barcelona plant and enhance our competitiveness in an important segment,” he explained.
The move represents an extension of Renault-Nissan Alliance’s five-ear strategic cooperation agreement with Daimler, which celebrates its fifth anniversary this month.
When companies’ arrangement began in 2010, the scope of the collaboration was limited to three European-focused projects. Since then, the combined portfolio of Renault-Nissan and Daimler has more than quadrupled to include 13 projects across Europe, Asia, and the Americas.
“After five years of cooperation between Daimler and Renault-Nissan, my conclusion is by all means positive,” commented Zetsche.
“We have identified and launched many joint projects that create benefits for all partners involved,” he concluded.
